Everyone knows about Tutankhamen's curse, which was inflicted on anyone who tried to make a sacrilege out of one of the most famous pyramids of Ancient Egypt. Today in our small island a new curse has shown up, the Gonzi curse.

This curse has been with the Nationalist Party since Lawrence Gonzi took the helm, with two strong hands. It began four years ago when Dr Gonzi's party contested the local council elections and the MEP elections. He lost both and this was the beginning of his party's downfall.

The curse continued year after year when the Nationalist Party, with Dr Gonzi at its helm, lost each and every local council election which it contested, with a majority going in favour of the Labour Party.

Last year the Gonzi curse extended itself to an international level when he visited Australia. After his visit the Conservative Party of John Howard lost the government and Mr Howard also lost his seat in Parliament. Then, Foreign Minister Michael Frendo lost the election for the post of general secretary of the Commonwealth.

Getting back to our country, Gonzi's curse did not take a break during the euro changeover celebrations: the ATM which was to supply euros for the first time to Dr Gonzi did not function and instead the first transaction was made from the St Julians branch. And when Juventus, one of the best football teams in Europe, came to Malta to play a friendly match against Valletta FC, they lost on penalties against Valletta after paying Dr Gonzi a courtesy visit.

Now we will have to see if the Gonzi curse shows up again during the general election to be held soon. Maybe the curse will finally be broken... or perhaps not.